Two comments and the long awaited update. Sorry for the delay.
DreamLover - Well then I’m glad to get the credit. I’m glad you like it. Update is now…
WickedReds - Sorry for the delay. Life’s been very very busy and I was out of town all week. Here it is.
Title – School Days
Part 25 – The one where everyone finds out…
Author – JustSkipit - Debra
Spoilers – Geez! Even in Europe, the show has been off the air for a year. If you haven’t seen any given episode, you aren’t really trying. Nonetheless…
Rating – Part 25 – R!
Note - Happy Birthday to me on Sunday!
Disclaimer – Guess what… I don’t own W&T, Buffy or the rest of the BtVS crew. Any similarity to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental and fortunate.
Thoughts in italicsWillow impatiently knocked on the door once again. She could hear rustling noises coming from the small garage apartment and took the chance to look around the yard again. She hadn’t noticed the broken down car lying on the grass between the garage and the house nor the old washing machine and dryer leaned against the car. Neither really added a touch of class to the area. Her heart beat in her chest as she turned her attention back to the paint peeling on the door in front of her. Just then, the doorknob jiggled and Willow was suddenly presented with the sight of Faith standing in the doorway wearing a pair of boxer shorts and nearly see-through T-shirt. In her hand she brandished a broadsword and Willow had the impression that she wasn’t very happy about being woken up.
“Why in the hell are you standing on my porch at 3:00 in the morning, Red?” Faith asked in a completely flat tone.
“I um well…,” Willow faltered.
“What are you doing here?” Faith cut her off, waving the sword in a vague but not particularly threatening way.
Willow took a deep breath before asking, “Is Tara um here? You know with you? I mean not with necessarily but here, you know sleeping? Maybe?”
Faith laughed out loud at the redhead before setting the sword by the door and physically reaching out to pull the girl into the apartment. Once she had done so, she quickly shut the door and locked the deadbolt. “I’ll get her,” Faith answered as soon as she finished. As she quickly crossed the room and gently opened the door by the kitchen, Willow heard her muttering, “She wakes up for every big bad that comes slinking by but not for cute redheads? Girl’s got priority issues.”
Willow’s heart soared as she waited for Faith to return with Tara. The past 36 hours had been a whirlwind of emotion for the redhead. First there had been the amazing spell and kiss with Tara to find the missing slayer. While she had known, or at least believed, at the time that it was wrong, she couldn’t deny how perfect the contact felt. When Tara had flown from the house, Willow had of course spent the next 12 hours beating herself up for her unforgivable breach of trust. And of course Tara had come to her to make it right.
And that was bad enough. Willow should have been the one to go to Tara and discuss talking to the principal. Then there were the whirlwind events of the afternoon and evening: Tara’s demon alarm on Faith’s apartment, explaining Buffy’s destiny, finding out that Faith was a slayer and Tara a mini-watcher. It was all just amazing.
The redhead had gone home to eat a nearly silent dinner with Dawn. She attempted to apologize to the girl but Dawn huffed from the table and locked herself in her room. She’d also told the teenager about her meeting in the morning, keeping it vague – that she needed to report something inappropriate that had happened between herself and a student – in case Dawn wanted a ride to school. When Dawn had stormed out, Willow had been too tired and upset to do more than just let the teenager go. Finally the witch had taken a long hot shower before pouring herself into bed to sleep, knowing that when she woke she had an appointment with disaster.
Only she hadn’t fallen asleep. Her mind wouldn’t quiet and let her relax. Willow attempted to use the relaxation techniques Tara had, ironically enough, attempted to teach her but it was no use. Her mind ran and ran in circles. Something was tickling at the edges, easing its way in, not pounding on the door but irritating her as if she should be figuring something out.
Something important.
Something about Tara.
Something important about Tara.
And Faith.
Not Tara and Faith but something that she should be able to figure out about Tara and Faith. It was obvious to Willow that the two girls were very close. Willow felt a spark of jealousy over the two girls’ relationship. They way they had spoken to each other today made it almost as if they were more than friends, as if they were family. But she knew they weren’t sisters and it was obvious that they weren’t lovers. Wasn’t it?
How long had they been friends and how much older was Faith than the blonde? Yet is seemed as if Tara held most of the authority in their relationship. And she had cast the spell on Faith’s apartment. Wow, what a spell that was. She cast and held a spell on Faith’s apartment while simultaneously masking Faith’s essence? And she must have another spell on her family’s house. Faith’s demon spell obviously triggered the bracelet that Willow now realized the blonde always wore.
The redhead nearly kicked herself when she realized that she should have been able to sense the spell on Tara’s bracelet when they had linked for the spell. There had been a tickling of her senses, as if the blonde were holding other spells but Willow had thought nothing of it.
So if Faith’s apartment spell were linked to Tara’s bracelet, what was Tara’s home’s spell linked to?
Willow couldn’t remember the blonde ever wearing another piece of jewelry, not one that would be capable of holding the alarm for her spell. As she analyzed the feeling from their linked spell she realized that she hadn’t felt a second spell either, only the first one.
So why would the blonde be so careful about Faith’s apartment but not her own home? Unless…
Unless…
Unless Faith’s apartment is also Tara’s? Willow had sat up suddenly in bed as the possibility hit her. What would that mean? That Faith and Tara are roommates? Lovers? No that one couldn’t be possible. But roommates? Why would a high school student live with a Slayer college student?
Before the redhead even thought about it she was out the front door of the Summers house and driving vaguely toward Faith’s run-down apartment. The first trip there had been insanely fast and she was highly stressed but she easily retraced the journey over now deserted streets.
If Tara lived with Faith, then she probably wasn’t a high school student.
“Willow?”
Tara’s voice interrupted Willow’s review of her new theory.
“Tara,” Willow breathed as she saw Tara walking toward her, looking disheveled and sleepy and confused and lovely at the same time.
The redhead wanted to slowly explain all her questions. To trace down the complete story. To know everything. “You live here with Faith,” she hastily shouted, not meaning to shout but it had come out that way.
Tara reacted with shock to what she took to be an accusation from the redhead. “Y-y-yes,” she stuttered. Realizing that Willow thought she had been leading her on and cheating on Faith she felt compelled to explain: “We’re not … I mean I would never… “ She exhaled slowly Willow’s expression was unreadable. How could the redhead believe that she would use her like that. How could Tara let the young girl know how much she cared for her.
That you love her? She took a step forward to try and explain. To say…
“You’re wearing your pajamas,” she suddenly giggled as she took in Willow’s attire. The younger girl wore pajama bottoms with jelly beans all over them, a pink T-shirt with a kitten on the chest, and no shoes.
“I was in a hurry,” Willow quickly explained as she glanced down at her pajamas.
I look like a child dressed like this, she criticized herself. Tara on the other hand looked stunning in a tank top and boxer shorts. Ok, maybe not stunning but sexy. “Why do you live with Faith?” Willow expelled
Tara crinkled her brow as she took the final step to bring her close to Willow. “I … I … I would never w-want to hurt you, Willow,” she answered as she reached out to run her hand down the redhead’s arm. “She’s my r-roommate and that’s all.” She took a breath as she tried to explain, “not all. I mean she’s like family.”
Surprising the blonde, a smile spread across Willow’s face. “You live with Faith… because you’re both in college?” She waited a second as she continued with her guesses: “And since you don’t get paid for being… a… student teacher?”
Tara again crinkled her brow, almost a flinch as she tried to understand Willow’s question. It was probably only a second but felt like much longer before she answered: “Yes, I mean… scholarships o-only…”
That was as far as she got as she felt Willow reach up with her hands to grasp the blonde’s cheeks and press their lips together. And then that feeling. That perfect amazing fantastic feeling of the connection between them. Tara wrapped her fingers tightly around the back of Willow’s head, feeling the silkiness of her hair and pulling her closer as she sucked the redhead’s tongue into her mouth. Willow moaned and Tara suddenly regained her senses, pulling back her mouth and using her palms to gently push the redhead away at the shoulders.
“Willow,” Tara quickly breathed, “we c-c-can’t… you know…” The blonde panicked and felt a moment of unbelievable anger that Willow was acting so recklessly. Coming to her apartment in the middle of the night, asking obvious questions, and now kissing her.
Well.
Kissing her well.
Amazingly well.
And smiling more widely than Tara had ever seen her. Her grin erupting from her face although Tara was panicking. Actually the blonde was starting to get pissed off. After all, it was Tara’s career in danger and Willow was attempting tempt her and taking great joy in it. Frustrated, the blonde put her hands on her hips and opened her mouth to begin her angry rant.
“You’re beautiful, Tara Maclay,” Willow smiled, pissing Tara off even more.
“Willow Rosenberg,” Tara admonished knowing that she was lapsing into full teacher mode, a mode she’d never even used in class, “y-you kn-now that we c…”
“Yes we can,” Willow grinned with a spark in her eye.
“I think you sh-should leave,” Tara said with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Because I’m a student and you’re a teacher and nothing can happen between us?” Willow asked with that silly grin on her face.
Tara took a step to go past Willow and show her the door. The redhead had such a damn silly smirk on her face that Tara was feeling perfectly willing to kick her out in the middle of the night: pajamas and all. “Yes, Willow,” Tara said stiffly. She was about to say something else when she felt Willow’s hand wrap around her arm. As always the touch was electric.
Willow saw the look on Tara’s face and decided that enough was enough. The blonde looked thoroughly pissed and Willow was ready to let her in on the secret. Having kept it for 30 seconds she was ready to tell her love: “I’m not a student, Tara,” she whispered.
“Oh Willow,” Tara said softly, “you can’t drop-out.” She took a deep breath, “I’ll wait for you until summer. I p-promise.” She ran her fingertip along the redhead’s jawline, shocked at herself for making such a bold statement. Until now, both girls had always skirted the topic of their relationship, of their future, but Willow just couldn’t drop out of school.
“I’m not a student, Tara,” Willow explained, “I’m the computer teacher at the high school. I thought you were a student.”
Tara’s mouth dropped open as she processed what Willow told her. Willow was smiling as she began to again step toward the blonde but Tara took a step backwards. “You’re a t-teacher at the high school?” she repeated dumbly.
Willow took a step forward to mirror the one Tara had taken backward. Reaching her hand out to tuck a strand of Tara’s hair behind her ear she smiled as she explained, “I thought you were a student all this time.”
“You thought I was a student?” Tara repeated stupidly.
Willow nodded as she gently wrapped her arms about Tara’s neck and began leaning forward for a kiss.
“You kissed a student?” Tara accused.
“What?” Willow gasped, “I kissed? Well I thought you were a student but you weren’t really a student. I mean … well I made a mistake but it wasn’t really because there was nothing wrong with… Hey, you thought I was student too…” She was pulling her arms away when she felt Tara’s hands wrap around her forearms.
“I was teasing you, sweetie,” the blonde whispered before bringing her lips slowly to the redhead’s. This time the contact was soft and gentle and slow and everything perfect. More so because they didn’t have to stop. The kiss went on and on as first Willow and then Tara parted her lips and touched her tongue to the other girl’s.
Finally, minutes and longer minutes later the two girls pulled only far enough away to look at each other. Slowly a grin spread across Tara’s face. Then Willow’s face began to match hers. Within seconds both girls were laughing so hard they had to break apart as tears rolled down their faces. “Hey, people are sleeping,” Faith shouted from her room, effectively interrupting the two girls.
Tara shouted her apology before looking at the clock. “It’s nearly 4:30, Willow,” she whispered.
“I’m way ahead of you,” Willow answered as she extended her hand to lead Tara into her own bedroom.
As soon as the door closed, the two women returned to kissing each other. They started slowly but quickly their contact became passionate. Hands roamed under the limited sleeping attire each wore and they moved toward the bed in a tangle of limbs. Willow was the first to sneak her hand under the waistband of Tara’s boxer shorts. “Oh God,” the blonde moaned as she felt Willow’s fingers lightly brush her hairs.
“Tara,” Willow whispered as she absorbed the sensation of Tara’s damp curls on her fingers. Suddenly she stilled her hand and slowly pulled it from Tara’s shorts.
“Willow?” Tara questioned as she attempted to recover from the sudden withdrawal of the redhead’s hand. Was it a mistake to let it go this far? Why had Willow suddenly stopped?
“Will you go out with me?” Willow asked.
Tara giggled, “You’re asking me out?”
“Well, yeah,” Willow answered, “I mean I want to get to know you better and I don’t want you to think I think that you’re the kind of girl who um you know without even going on a date or anything.”
“All evidence to the contrary,” Tara giggled. Willow looked thoroughly confused for a moment before Tara answered, “Yes, I’d love to go out with you.”
“Tonight?” Willow confirmed yawning.
“Tonight, sweetie,” Tara agreed as she too began yawning. Realizing that both girls were yawning nearly nonstop, they silently agreed to sleep for a few hours before school. Tara rolled over to set her alarm before opening her arms to gather Willow within them. They slept their few hours completely wrapped together and as blissful as two sleeping women can be.
A few hours later Tara’s alarm clock rang shocking both girls. Surprisingly Willow felt no disorientation about her current position. She leaned over and kissed Tara gently before easing from the bed. “You don’t want to go to school like that?” the blonde teased.
“I think I should go change,” Willow smiled, “I’ll see you at lunchtime?”
Tara nodded. “Well,” she teased, “we can cross meeting with Principal Wood off our list.”
“Definitely,” Willow agreed leaning in for one more kiss. Tara led her to the front door and they took a few minutes breaking their kiss before Willow ran quickly to the car and started it.
Pulling from the driveway, Willow noticed that the voicemail light on her phone, which she had left in the Jeep, was blinking. She retrieved the message as she drove:
“Hey, Will. It’s me Buffy.” Willow waited as a few beats passed. “I was thinking about something and it’s going to sound crazy but I had a thought.” Again the slayer’s voice paused. “What if Tara’s not a high school student? I mean she and Faith have been working together for years and when I was at Faith’s apartment yesterday she pointed out Tara’s room and well, it had college text books in it.” Willow laughed as she heard the end of the message: “It’s probably a crazy stupid idea but I just thought, maybe the forbidden girl isn’t so forbidden.”
Willow laughed as she pulled up to the house and got out of the car wincing slightly from the feel of the cold ground on her bare feet.
--
Faith waited until she heard the door close and the car start up before knocking on Tara’s bedroom door. “T,” she half leered as she saw the blonde laying on her bed smiling.
“F,” Tara teased back.
“You’re in love,” Faith announced knowingly as she walked over to sit by Tara on the bed.
“Hopelessly,” Tara giggled as she buried her face in her pillow.
“Well,” Faith smiled, “I have what I think might be good news.”
“Better news than the woman I love leaving my bed at 6:30 in the morning?” Tara asked.
“Hell, the woman you love not leaving your bed at 6:30 in the morning would be better than that, T,” Faith assured her. “I know you’re hung up on this whole student/teacher thing,” she started, not noticing the smile that spread across Tara’s face. “Last night when B and I were patrolling,” Faith started, “we were talking about our ‘adventures in Slaying’ and she said that when she and Xander and Willow were Juniors, someone sent her a demon arm for her birthday and when they were Seniors, the watchers council tried to kill her to test her.”
“I don’t think I like the sounds of this watchers council,” Tara announced.
“You’re missing the point, T,” Faith pointed out. “Buffy said when they were all Juniors and Seniors. They’re the same age.” She nodded as she said, “I don’t think Willow’s a high school student.” Faith demonstrated her pride in her cognitive abilities by nodding her head once before turning and walking from the room. “You can thank me however you see fit,” she shouted from her room before shutting the door. Tara laughed again as reset the alarm clock to sleep another hour.
--
“Hey Annh,” Xander mumbled as he began to wake up.
“I’m trying to sleep,” the blonde answered, “so unless you want to have morning sex, let me rest.”
“Romantic as that sounds, I’ve been thinking,” Xander answered.
“If you’re just thinking, then let me go back to sleep,” Anya argued.
“If Faith’s the Slayer and she and Tara have been killing vampires, then I don’t think there’s a big bad,” Xander explained pleased with himself.
Anya lifted herself on her elbow and smiled at her boyfriend, “you just figured that out?” She smiled again and moved her hand lower. “I’m so glad I don’t just love you for your brain,” she announced.
--
Willow whistled through her shower and getting dressed. By the time she got to the kitchen table she was positively glowing. She poured herself a cup of coffee and made some toast. She would have just enough time to eat before going to school. She smiled as she thought about how she didn’t have to go and meet with the principal today.
“Willow?” Dawn asked from the door of the kitchen.
“Hi Dawn,” Willow answered. She was in a great mood and felt like Dawn could have asked to borrow her laptop and carry it around on her head and Willow would have agreed.
Dawn poured herself some cereal and started eating. “I wanted to say I’m really sorry about messing up your computer. I shouldn’t have borrowed it without asking.”
“Thanks, Dawnie,” Willow answered still grinning.
“So,” Dawn started tentatively, “um… yesterday I was really mad at you.”
“I know, Dawn,” Willow answered, “I’m sorry I yelled at you in front of Tara yesterday.” Her mouth quirked up at the mention of Tara’s name.
“Yeah,” Dawn continued, “about Tara.”
“Yes?”
“She um she’s not a student,” Dawn explained, “she’s a teacher. I was going to tell you when we walked in but then you …” she trailed off as Willow began laughing and continued until she could no longer eat. The redhead threw her toast in the garbage, gave Dawn a hug and told her that she would be ready to leave in five minutes if the teenager wanted a ride to school.
--
Giles paced as her poured yet another cup of tea. He had been up all night reading and taking notes from Tara’s journals. Her work was meticulous and quite impressive and he’d been on the telephone for hours describing the content to Quentin Travers. He wasn’t surprised when Travers told him a team of watchers would be there by sundown to meet Faith and Tara and to copy the books if Tara allowed it.
Finally exhaling, he dialed the telephone. “Giles? What’s wrong?” Willow immediately asked.
“Nothing is wrong, Willow,” Giles answered.
“I know you are on the way to school,” Giles started, “or at least I assume so.”
“Yes, Dad” Willow teased rolling her eyes at Dawn as the teenager drove.
“Ah yes,” Giles continued, “I’ve been reviewing Tara’s journals.” His excitement was evident to the redhead as he gushed about the work: “The work is quite brilliant. I’ve explained to the watchers council about it and they are thoroughly impressed.”
“Giles,” Willow interrupted, “are you going somewhere relevant to me?” Dawn had pulled into the student lot and handed Willow the keys before getting out of the car to join her friends.
“Yes,” Giles started nervously, “you know that I am loathe to be involved in any of your how-do-I-say social lives?”
“Yes, Giles,” Willow agreed drolly, “we’ve all heard the ‘I’m not here to give you dating advice’ speech a few times.”
“Right then,” Giles agreed taking a deep breath before continuing. “Well I have read quite a bit of Tara’s brilliant journals.”
“You said,” Willow answered wondering if she already knew where this was going.
“Her journals are quite detailed, brilliant as I said,” Giles repeated.
“Giles,” Willow interrupted, “I have to be in class in 10 minutes.”
“Yes,” Giles agreed, “it seems apparent from the journals that you have made a mistake.” He continued, “I believe that Tara has been a college student the entire time that she and Faith have been battling vampires.”
Willow was laughing even before Giles finished speaking. “Thank you, Giles,” she managed to sputter. She stepped from the jeep as she saw Tara locking up her bike and walked over to the blonde smiling. “Yes,” Tara heard Willow say, “thank you again.”
“Good morning, Willow,” Tara whispered sexily as the redhead folded her phone closed.
“Good morning, again,” Willow smiled. “We were a little too quick. Buffy thinks you’re in college, Dawn says you’re a teacher, and Giles says your journals show you’re a college student.”
Tara laughed as they walked toward the school. “Faith came in to say that you were a Junior and Senior at the same time as Buffy and Xander so you are legal too.”
“Good recommendations,” Willow laughed again.
“Miss Rosenberg, Miss Maclay,” principal Wood interrupted as he caught up with the girls. “I’d like to have a meeting of the faculty volunteers for the Halloween event this afternoon at 4:00. Can you both make it?”
“Sure,” the witches agreed in unison. Neither could keep from laughing as they walked toward their separate classrooms.
MoveOn.Org
American Civil Liberities Union
Human Rights Campaign
by Kajun » Sat Sep 04, 2004 8:17 pm 
JustSkipIt, thanks for the welcome. 
at: 9/6/04 4:06 pm
's, I'd like to see an end to the
Pretty please? 
, and then when Giles did too, well...
-Cameron
I loved how they all seemed to clue round about the same time, very funny 
Finnaly they know, my god it took a whaile, but they know. I feel like singing, but i'm just gonna dance instead.........
. Willow teasing Tara at her apartment at 3:00 in the morning was just classic.
(meaning Dawn). Since it was clear that she was going let Willow go an humiliate herself. In fact I was going to ask for her to be thrown under a bus 
more (there will be more right? I think we deserve it after all the torture you inflicted on us 
You are an utter, utter smartass. 
